Carlisle City Council has awarded £11.56 million in grants to 1,033 businesses in Carlisle.
The council continues to process government grants available for businesses affected by the Coronavirus outbreak with payments being made on a daily basis.
They have written to all eligible businesses within the Carlisle area and are urging businesses to contact them with the necessary information to allow them to process the remaining grants.
Within the letter they are asked to confirm some company details and send back the information electronically. The council needs this information to process the payment and to ensure that the funding goes to the right place. They want all eligible businesses to get access to the grants; they don’t want any business to miss out.
Once the information has been received, an email is sent to the business acknowledging that the information has been received. It is not necessary for them to make any further contact. If any additional information is needed or there are any queries, the council will contact the business direct. Once the necessary information has been received, the council aims to process the grants within five working days.
The grants have been provided to those businesses eligible for the government’s small business grant fund or the retail, leisure and hospitality grant. The level of grant is dependent on the rateable value of the business.
The council has followed government guidance regarding the business grants and to ensure that all eligible businesses access the grants as quickly as possible, they are targeting their approach rather than asking businesses to apply. The government has made it clear that this is not an application process and that councils should be proactively contacting businesses that could access the funding.
Any business that has any concerns or has not received a letter, and thinks they are eligible, is asked to contact the City Council by calling 01228 817234 or emailing NNDR@carlisle.gov.uk
Cllr John Mallinson, Leader of Carlisle City Council, said: “We appreciate that this is a difficult time for businesses and we’re working hard to get the grants paid as quickly as possible. More than £11.56 million has been awarded so far and more will be processed later this week.
“We’ve targeted our approach and have written directly to all eligible businesses. We urge businesses to respond to the letter and send us the necessary information.”
In addition to the grants, the City Council has also sent nil balance bills to businesses that are eligible for business rate relief under the expanded business rates relief scheme.
They are also promoting other grant and funding opportunities on their website – www.carlisle.gov.uk
They are also searching out other funding opportunities which we are also promoting to partners. Their website provides up-to-date information on the government funding and is regularly updated when new schemes or guidance is provided.
They are working closely with Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, Cumbria Tourism and Carlisle Ambassadors to support local businesses.
